The thread is open.
I made a slight adjustment because the fifth mystery actually starts on Ep 20.
Episodes 1 to 5: The mystery of the beheaded bride
Episodes 6 to 10: Dark secrets in the purple bamboo grove
Episodes 11 to 15: The monster of Samyuan village
Episodes 16 to 19: The ballad of the Shuangqing Troupe
Episodes 20 to 21: The mannequin in the bridal gown shop
Two things:
1. I’m not sure how to call this mystery, but it seems to involve sexual assault, necrophilia (sex with a dead person), fetish for undergarments, serial killing trophies, and agalmatophilia (sexual attraction to mannequins). I’ll name the case after the least offensive topic: the mannequin. It was seen dressed in bridal red.
The mannequin appears to be the “clue” in this arc, anyway.
2. I don’t think there’s a mistranslation when our heroine Shen Wan was addressed as “Mr. Qin” when she was introduced to the people in the morgue. It’s possible that she, her uncle or her cousin hatched up a plan to disguise her as a man in order to protect her reputation while she assists in the investigation for the Crown Prince. That she wore her long hair down was a giveaway that she was masquerading as a man.
Let’s enjoy the show.
My notes:
New characters:
Yan Huai: Emperor. Good or bad guy? Time will tell. Believes that Yan Chi is still bad at playing Go, but it’s possible Yan Chi is feigning boredom and lack of interest with the game to hide his intelligence. Took on Yan Chi’s BFF/Prince Li as his godson after death of his father.
Yan Che: the Crown Prince. The son of the empress. A weak and insecure prince. Not above using short cuts or circumvent the law to gain objectives. Considered a failure in the emperor’s eyes. The Qin family supports him, though, and tries to marry the eldest daughter to him. Forming an alliance with Yan Chi would considerably boost his standing in court, but Yan Chi is lukewarm to him.
Princess Yan Zhen: daughter of the emperor and empress
Zhao Shuhua: Empress. Mother of Yan Che and Yan Zhen. Approves of the Qin 1st Daughter for her son.
Yan Qi: aka Prince Cheng. The son of the favorite consort so the emperor favors him over the CP. New baddie in town.
Feng Lingsu: aka Noble Consort Su.
Feng Chenbi: related to Consort Su? A niece? Her father is the Duke of Zhong who’s supposedly a confidant (relative?) of the Consort. Chenbi and Princess Yan Zhen hate each other’s guts but they’re united in opposition against Qin 1st daughter as a match for the CP.
Empress Dowager: mother of the emperor.
Madam ?: mother of Yan Li/the flamboyant BFF of Yan Chi. She’s withdrawn from the world. The first and only person Yan Chi introduced to Shen Wan. She gave her precious hairpin to Shen Wan.
The regular characters:
Shen Wan: also known as Qin Wan.
Qin Yan: Shen Wan’s male cousin
Qin Zhaoyu (or Yu for short): Qin Yan’s sister and SW’s cousin, too. A match with the Crown Prince is being arranged by their father. But in a previous episode, Qin Yan recognized that Shen Wan was a much superior matrimonial candidate than his own sister.
Qin Shu: the patriarch/First Son of the Qin family. Also, called Marquis of Zhongyong. Politically, he seems to aligned with the Crown Prince. He, too, recognizes that Shen Wan was the best of all his nieces, and even better than his own daughter.
Qin Xiang: the cousin who eloped with the bad guy. Is desperate to marry somebody well-off. Seems irredeemable. Legitimate daughter of that evil, syphilitic Third Son of the Qin family.
Qin Shuang: the cousin who seems to be getting closer to Shen Wan after Shen Wan rescued her from the well. Was caned because she dissed the Grand Princess. Redeemable. Daughter of the Third Son and a concubine.
Yan Chi: the lead male. Son of Prince Rui. Emperor’s nephew. Former general in his father’s Shouxi Army but is working as an assistant minister at the Ministry of Justice. Has mastered flight so can easily leap onto rooftops and save Shen Wan.
Prince Rui: The emperor’s brother. General of the Shuoxi Army. Seemingly estranged from his son, Yan Chi, because of some military squabble. But this could all just be fake news so Yan Chi and his father could go their separate ways and avoid being easy targets by assassins.
Prince Li: aka Yan Li. BFFs with Yan Chi. Flamboyant, gregarious, but seems to get the job done. To be matched with Princess YongNing. Can make a good spy.
Princess Yongning: BFFs of Shen Wan. Cousin of Yan Chi on the matriarch/Yue side of the family. To be matched with Yan Li.
Yue Qiong: Uncle of Shen Wan (brother of his mother?). Current Marquis of Anyang. Seems to be another father figure to Yan Chi. Adopted father of Shen Wan.
The Grand Princess: the emperor’s aunt. At the behest of Yan Chi, she became the adopted (or foster?) grandmother of Shen Wan. She’s the matriarch of the Yue clan.
Prince Yu: the emperor’s uncle. From the Yan clan (?). IIRC, Shen Wan thought he was a dirty old man because, given his old age, he still sired a son with a young concubine. Has a birthday party and Shen Wan, Yan Chi, et al., have to detour and attend the festivities at Yuzhou.
Prince Jin: deceased. The emperor’s eldest son. Good friends with Yan Chi.
The same old bad guy:
Li Muyun: the new Minister of the Supreme Court. Shen Wan’s father used to mentor him until his betrayal; he accused SW’s father of conspiring with Prince Jin and covering up the crime. It stands to reason that Shen Wan hates him. Good thing he can’t remember Shen Wan’s face. Oddly enough, he’s currently one of the emperor’s favorites in court. Was sent to investigate the salt transport, just like Yan Chi. But it’s also possible that he’s been sent there to put pressure on Prince Yu (the emperor’s uncle) and the officials in the region.
More notes.
Re. the three tasks.
1. Mirror and Reflections
I leave these for @Kate. Lol.
2. Symbolism
It’s the mannequin alright.
Yan Chi says, “This tailor committed gruesome murders out of jealousy of women marrying up….This person was traumatized from being abused in childhood by his mother.” The mannequin was a representation of who he wanted to be: a woman that could be dressed up, beautified with cosmetics, and “sold” in marriage to have a better life. His mother had despaired that she couldn’t do these things and pimped him out to men in the brothels.
For a moment there, I thought the show was going to portray the killer as a transvestite, but I guess it was easier just to depict him with mommy issues.
At any rate, the case was brief. I think this subplot is a transitional one. The new characters, i.e., the princes in the capital city, had to be introduced.
3. As for the feminist ideals or the 21st century virtues in this period piece, I think one of them happened in the scene when Princess YongNing educated Shen Wan on the politics in the palace.
Princess: Not all the rivalries among noble ladies throughout history are about men, right? This banquet was organized by Noble Consort Su. The Empress didn’t take part in it at all. So, you can see who has the edge now. Royal concubines fight one another with all means only for their children’s sake. A favored mother’s son enjoys more power.
Women aren’t all hapless and petty beings. They, too, engage in their own power struggles. And among the noble ladies, they use any means at their disposal to gain advantage and to leverage their position for the future of their children. Children >>> men
See if you can find another 21st century anachronism. Thanks.
@pm3 Your comment about transvestism reminded me that I had wondered if he was transgendered.
Both are examples of gender confusion which is depicted in a milder way in the pronouns used for the FL in her role as coroner. I think this is in the same episode.
I know I am extrapolating here, maybe too much, but this show is showing how gender confines, as we see in her worries about her “male” role and in her sister/cousin’s obsession with marrying power and wealth. Cross dressing, of course, is a trope in historical chinese dramas.
It is not only women who are confined by their gender roles.
@pm3 Is this more 21st century sentiments?
No, @monmor.
Shen Wan, when she disguised as a male coroner, isn’t a transvestite. Heaven forbid! She dressed up as a man — or cross-dressed — in order to do her job. Cross-dressing is an often used trope in kdrama and cdramas, as we all know.
Transvestism, however, is considered a psychiatric disorder when it causes impairment, distress, depression, sexual fetishes, psychosis and/or inability to function normally in the world. For all intents and purposes, The tailor is depicted as a closet transvestite. Thankfully, the plot didn’t dwell much on the issue as a cdrama is not the time, place, venue or appropriate vehicle to discuss such a contentious and still evolving subject. But unfortunately, the plot did manage to paint a transvestite as somebody criminal. I hope this doesn’t become a trope.
Yes I am aware of everything you have said and agree.
I was thinking of it more as on a spectrum Illustrating, how gender roles are confining? I was not thinking of her as a transvestite at all.
I did wonder about making this comment.And perhaps I should abstain from these kind of comments. It becomes difficult to communicate about certain issues in this format.
I was thinking of these parts of the drama All being thematically similar but not the same.
I’m with you on not wanting this to become a trope. I just remembered that there’s a very similar scene in the Demon Hunter’s romance. I did not like it there either.
@monmor,
I don’t think the screenwriter is really interested in exposing the restrictions (or the oppressing nature) of gender roles. He/she merely skims the issue and lets the viewers go down the rabbit hole – if they so desire.
In fact, if you rewatch Ep 21 and pay close attention to that scene in the banquet when Shen Wan was introduced to the other noble ladies, you’ll see that show offers a different perspective on gender roles.
Emperor: Are Ms. Qin’s medical skills really good enough to change a person’s temperament?
Princess Yongning: (stepping in to speak up for her friend) Your Majesty, I’m an eyewitness to Wan’s medical competence. In Jingzhou, people all refer to her as a medical fairy.
Ms Feng Chenbi: What a surprise that the Marquis of Zhongyong has a medical fairy as his daughter. He’s a blessed father. That’s a much higher honor than the hollow title of the capital’s most talented woman.
This was obviously a dig SW’s cousin Yu who’s known to be very talented and is the primary candidate for Crown Princess. Ms. Feng was trying to pit one woman against another. Take note how SW corrects her.
SW: Women excel in different fields. Why compare them with one another? Be they good at arts, medicine, needlework, cooking or anything, they deserve respect and admiration as long as they are sensible women of integrity.
Emperor: Well said. I can’t agree more with Ms. Qin’s opinion.
Do you see it?
SW didn’t decry the different roles and undertaking of women. Instead, she said that these all have a place in society, be they trivial or not, impactful or not, aspirational or not. What matters is integrity, sensibility, excellence.
I personally think this is a better and healthier perspective on gender roles than the divisive “we-are-oppressed! we-must-be-equal!” theory espoused by the “woke” generation.
Also, if you watch Episode 23, you’ll see that gender expectations not only affect women but also men as well. In another banquet scene with the foreigners, the Crown Prince suggested an outdoor activity.
His manner of speech was surprisingly poetic and floral.
CP: Father, the plum blossoms are blooming in the Southern Court now. Why not invite the princes and princesses from Beidai and Xihan to have fun there and practice mounted archery? It’s a good way to celebrate the New Year and strengthen the friendship among the three countries. What do you think, Father?
Prince Cheng: (suddenly standing up) Father. Qi prioritizes his personal safety and seldom goes for an outing. I agree with his suggestion.
We understand then the contempt Prince Cheng has for the CP, and the emperor’s preference for his second son. The emperor thinks the CP is a lightweight because he isn’t militarily bent nor competent in leading/managing tough situations. The emperor probably likes the second prince better because he, at least, displays a fighting spirit. (But note the look on his face, when Yan Chi informed him that evidence was destroyed in the case of the tailor. He looked at the Prince Cheng with contempt, as if he knew that Prince Cheng was involved in the crime.)
Just as there are role expectations of women which could be seen as limiting, there are also role expectations of men which could be limiting as well if they’re not inclined towards those activities.
Just a note about the mask that the “general” wore during the New Year’s Eve dance exhibition in episode 21 —
To me, Shen Wan was smiling as she watched the show because she recognized who was behind the mask from the beginning. She knew it was Yan Shi because he was wearing a scary mask just like hers when they were chasing their suspect in the case of the headless bride.
In ep 5, she picked a xiezhi mask. It had one horn as a xiezhi is a mythical creature with just one horn. According to YC, the xiezhi can tell right from wrong. I googled it to find out more, and it said that “in ancient China, an unaesthetic, fierce-looking mythical animal, Xiezhi, is regarded as an iconic symbol of the Chinese judiciary system based on moral and intuitive judgment.”
Xiezhi = one horn
Shen Wan’s mask has one horn
Yan Chi wore a scary mask with two horns. If you replay that scene in Ep 5, there was another scary mask with two horns displayed at the market stall. No, I don’t think YC bought that, but I’m just saying that there are options other than a xiezhi lol.
He didn’t wear an identical mask but he wore a similar one to hers. I like the idea that they were complementary to each other. She seeks justice and he’ll fight for her.